Hey dudes, my name is Faye Oliver. I have loved reading ever since I was really small. I wish I could remember the first time I ever picked up a book and was able to understand the words on the page. I bet nothing can recreate that feeling. This blog will be for reviewing all the books I read and all that good stuff.

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Saturday, 10 January 2015

Review: Elizabeth is Missing

Elizabeth is Missing, Emma Healey's stunning debut novel,
introduces a mystery, an unsolved crime and one of the most unforgettable
characters since Mark Haddon's Christopher. Meet Maud ...

'Elizabeth is missing', reads the note in Maud's pocket in her own handwriting.
Lately, Maud's been getting forgetful. She keeps buying peach slices when she
has a cupboard full, forgets to drink the cups of tea she's made and writes
notes to remind herself of things. But Maud is determined to discover what has
happened to her friend, Elizabeth, and what it has to do with the unsolved
disappearance of her sister Sukey, years back, just after the war.
A fast-paced mystery with a wonderful leading character: Maud will make you
laugh and cry, but she certainly won't be forgotten.

My Thoughts:

Reviewing this book is kind of hard for me. I didn't know about any of the hype when
I brought it, apart from the fact that it was in Richard and Judy's book club
and I got it for a £1 when I brought a second book from WH Smiths. I decided to
pick it up because I found the first page interesting and I was intrigued to
see how the concept of dementia would be played out.

There's quite a lot of different opinions when it comes to individual reviews
on Elizabeth is missing. General tabloids seem to all commend it while there
are some reviews done by readers that don't seem to understand the hype.

I must say I am one of those readers.

For me, the main reasons I liked this book was because of the concept of
dementia and because I liked Maud's character, both young and old. I thought
Healey managed to portray an old woman with dementia very realistically, and it
certainly helped me to understand the disease. I really felt for Maud and her
ever growing confusion with general life, even to the point of forgetting words
such as pencil and bench. When people misunderstood what she wanted or meant, I
wished I was able to speak for her. It was amazing how Maud would start with
knowing exactly what she wanted to do, and then a few sentences later she would
be completely lost and bewildered

However.

The actual storyline, both in the past and present confused the hell out of me.
I understood that people were missing and in both cases no one was telling
Maud what she wanted to hear. I also get that because of the unreliable
narrator nature of Maud's narrative, I should have taken more things with a
pinch of salt. However, I get what happened to Elizabeth, but what happened to
Sukey I am none the wiser. I felt that the conclusion was kind of rushed and
appeared out of nowhere and was too open to be satisfying. Even as I type this
I remember the confusion I felt when I finished the book, I even googled to try
and find an explanation of the ending. I didn't understand how Elizabeth
suddenly reached the conclusion, why her daughter suddenly decided to
cooperate, how Elizabeth became linked with the whole thing.

I feel like a missed a whole chapter that everyone else read that explained
everything.

Anyhow to sum everything up, this book was good for the concepts it explored
and I feel that's one of the main reasons why it has gathered so much
attention. That being said, I read the book quite fast and I can't remember
getting bored or wanting the book to finish quickly. I would recommend reading
it so you can gather your own opinion and read about the devastating effects
dementia can have on a person and their family.

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About Me

18 year old University student who reads fiction when she should be reading textbooks.
If you would like to ask any questions, recommend a book for me to read and review or if you are an author who would like an honest review of your book, feel free to email me at: fridgefullabooks@hotmail.co.uk
Take Care!